


JoJo enters the Georgia State Fair

by Finnegancat



Series: The Adventures of Joanna McCoy [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24731806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finnegancat/pseuds/Finnegancat
Summary: Joanna and her father create the perfect peach pie for the Georgia State Fair
Series: The Adventures of Joanna McCoy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788274
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12
Collections: The Life and Adventures of Joanna McCoy





	JoJo enters the Georgia State Fair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Spacedancer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacedancer/gifts).



“Grandma,” JoJo McCoy asked, “Can you tell me again when is Daddy coming?”

“He will be here in about a week. The Enterprises docks at the Earth Space Station on September 20th. He has some meetings in San Francisco at Starfleet Headquarters to attend, but he is planning on renting a shuttle to drive out here on September 25th. I know you are always happy to see your Daddy, but what’s got you all worked up? This must be the fifth time that you’ve asked me,” Eleanor McCoy responded. 

“Grandmaaaaaa!” Joanna groaned, “Don’t you know what’s coming up?” 

“Well, it’s not Christmas and it’s not your birthday. I know- it’s parent-teacher conferences. You want your Daddy to meet your teachers,” Eleanor teased.

“Grandma!,” Joanna rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you’re right, that’s not it. Well then, you must want help with a homework assignment. That’s it, right?” Eleanor continued with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Grandma, you know that’s not right! First, I don’t need any help with any of my homework. Second, you know very well what’s coming up. It’s the Georgia State Fair. You KNOW it’s always at the beginning of October. You enter it every year.”

“I know, sweetie. I usually win, too, for my honey and for my quilts. Are you going to take your daddy to the fair?” Eleanor asked.

“Better than that! Daddy promised me that he was going to teach me the McCoy Family recipe for Peach Pie. He and I are going to enter the fair. But, I need time before the fair so he can teach me how to make it. He says it’s time for the next generation to take the reins, or something like that.” With all the seriousness of an 8 year old, Joanna continued, “Daddy and I are going to win a prize!”

“Sweetie,” Eleanor said, “You know that it is very difficult to win a prize at the State Fair. It takes years and years of perfecting a recipe for someone to win a prize. Even then, it’s still very, very difficult. Practically no one wins a prize the first year.”

“I know that, Grandma. Daddy always says to set your goals high, though. You should always enter a contest hoping to win it,” Joanna replied.

“Fine advice, sweetie. You listen to your Daddy,” Eleanor chuckled. “Just know that no matter how you do, both your Daddy and I are going to be proud of you. Prize or no prize, the peach pie that you are going to make is going to taste the best to me at the fair.”

One week later…

“Daddyyyyyyyyyyy,” JoJo shrieked as she ran out of the house to meet her father as he was pulling up the lane to the house. “I’m so happy to see you!!! Are you ready to start on the pie now?” 

“Joanna McCoy, you get back in this house right now! You don’t have any shoes on!” Eleanor shouted from the house.

Laughing, Leonard caught JoJo up in his arms and twirled her around. “Jojo,” he said happily, as he gave her a big bear hug. “I am so happy to see you, but let’s get you back in the house before we are BOTH in trouble from your Grandma. We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Leonard said as he started towards the house, carrying Joanna.

“No, daddy. If we get Grandma upset, we’ll end up having to wash the floor, snap beans, or shuck the corn, and then we can’t make our pie. I want to get started on it right away!” JoJo giggled as they headed up the stairs to the front porch.

“Leonard, you sit a spell on the front porch and I’ll bring out some iced tea for you. Joanna, would you help me bring out some iced tea and some peach pie?” Eleanor welcomed Leonard a big hug and kiss and had him sit on the wicker porch furniture with his feet up on the ottoman. “While we sit, you can tell me all about how everyone on the Enterprise is doing. Then you’d better start teaching Joanna about that special, super-secret McCoy peach pie. That poor child has done nothing but talk about peach pie, the fair, and how she’s going to win a prize since she got your comm a few weeks ago. To say that she’s excited would be an understatement, to say the least.”

Leonard laughed as he settled into the chair. “Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll keep her occupied so we can sit a spell and catch up a bit.” 

When Joanna and Eleanor came out with a tray full of iced tea, glasses, lemons and pie, Leonard said to Joanna “Do you know what makes the best Georgia peach pie? Having the best peaches in the entire state.” Joanna’s eyes grew as big as plates. Leonard continued, “And as luck would have it, the best peaches in the entire state happen to grow right here, on the McCoy homestead.”

“Really, Daddy?” Joanna gasped. “Really, truly?”

“Yes, really, truly. So, how about you take a bushel basket, run into the orchard and find the best peaches you possibly can, and pick about a bushel’s worth. Do you know how to find the best peaches?” Leonard asked his daughter.

“How, Daddy?” Joanna responded.

“The best peaches should look gold behind that peachy blush that they get. There should be no bruises or scratches. They should be smooth and fuzzy, not wrinkled. They should smell exactly like how you want a peach to taste. They should also feel heavy. You need to get it in your hand and very gently squeeze it. It should not be hard or really soft. You want it a little bit firmer versus softer, since we are going to be baking with them. Does that make sense, JoJo?” Leonard asked.

“Yes, Daddy. Not too hard, not too firm, they should smell like Peach Heaven and they should be golden and blushed. Daddy, how do you make a peach blush? Do they get embarrassed?”

Leonard laughed. “No, honey, not that kind of a blush, but similar. A blush on a peach means that it has been kissed by the sun, that’s all. Do you know where the bushel baskets are? Ok, go get some perfect peaches!”

As JoJo ran off towards the barn to get a basket, Eleanor laughed. “That’s one way to occupy her. She’s convinced that she’s going to win a prize. I hate to see how that child will be if she doesn’t.”

Leonard just shook his head. “It’s good for her to have high goals. Besides, how could the McCoy Peach Pie recipe not win?”

The next morning, Leonard and JoJo were in the kitchen, aprons on, and ready to cook. “Before we start, JoJo, a good chef always makes sure that he has his ingredients at the ready. Let’s look around and make sure that we have everything. Can you read the list for me, please?” Leonard asked.

JoJo picked up the list. “Well, for the pie crust, we need flour, shortening, salt, and water. For the pie itself we need 3lbs of pitted, peeled and sliced peaches, sugar, salt, flour, cornstarch, butter, and the McCoy Secret ingredients- cinnamon and nutmeg. Yes, Daddy, we have it all. We even have the pie plate, the rolling pin and roll mat, pastry blender, mixing bowls, and the measuring spoons and cups. Yes, we have it all, Daddy.” 

As the morning wore on, Leonard and JoJo made several different pie crusts. With each crust, Joanna got better about rolling out the dough. “Daddy,” Joanna complained, “How come it’s so hard to get the dough from the mat to the pie plate? It always breaks. Daddy, how come you’re laughing at me, that’s not nice!”

“JoJo, you should see yourself in the mirror. You’ve got flour in your hair, on your face, all over your apron. It’s even on your nose! Don’t worry so much about getting it into the pan. That comes with time. It’s hard to do,” Leonard replied.

After lunch, Leonard and JoJo started learning how to make the peach filling for the pie. Several attempts later, Leonard declared it good enough to put into some of the shells and bake them. Eleanor walked into the kitchen to see seven pies cooling on the counter. “Land’s sake, you two have been busy. When do we get to sample these?” she asked.

“How about now?” Leonard and JoJo exclaimed. “Do we have any vanilla ice cream?” JoJo wanted to know. “That goes well with peach pie.” The three did a taste test of each of the seven pies. They voted on which one was the best, looked at how exactly they made that one, and planned out how they were going to improve that one for the fair.

Finally, the day of the fair arrived. Eleanor, Leonard, and JoJo loaded up the car with Eleanor’s quilts, honey, and jams. Leonard and JoJo carefully loaded JoJo’s pie into the back. They headed to Perry, Georgia, to the Georgia National Fairgrounds. JoJo was practically vibrating with excitement in the back seat the entire way to the grounds.

When they arrived at the fair, they checked in with all of their items that they had brought to be judged. While the judges did their work, JoJo and Leonard went around the fair, viewing the 4H entries, the other livestock, had a corndog, because everything tastes better on a stick, and a funnel cake because you cannot go to the fair without having a funnel cake. They listened to one of the local bands on the side stage, and watched the cattle roping in the arena. 

“Daddy,” JoJo asked while swinging her Daddy’s hand back and forth, “When are they going to be done with the judging?” 

“Well, it’s probably about the right time to head over to that area to see if they have finished,” Leonard replied. “Don’t pull my arm off, JoJo! Those entries aren’t going anywhere!” as JoJo was trying to drag her Daddy over to the judging tents. 

Joanna ran to the table where her peach pie was. She passed several tables full of baked goods, many of which had blue, red and yellow ribbons hanging from them. “Daddy!!! Someone stole my pie! It’s not there! You said it wasn’t going anywhere!” Joanna looked as if she were about to burst into tears.

One of the judges heard JoJo’s outburst and walked over. “Was your entry number 64?” the judge asked. 

“Yes,” Joanna sniffed, practically in tears. 

“Come with me, please.” The judge led Joanna and McCoy to a different area in the tent. “Is this your pie?” Joanna nodded, a bit confused. “Congratulations!” the Judge told her. “You’ve won Best in Show for the Peach Pie Under Age 10 Category. Where did you learn to make such a delicious pie? We all loved it.”

Joanna was really crying now, but tears of joy. “My Daddy taught me. He makes the best pies!” She turned to her Daddy and gave him the biggest hug. “Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me. You’re the best! I love you.”  
Leonard just hugged his daughter. “JoJo, I am always proud of you. I’m proud that you tried your best, and I would have been proud if you hadn’t won. However, I’m really happy that you won. Best in Show! I’ve never even won that. Great job, sweetie.” 

“You were right, Daddy. The best peaches in the state do grow on the McCoy Farm!”


End file.
